LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF SASKATCHEWAN Fourth Session — Fifteenth Legislature 17th Day Monday, February 27, 1967. The Assembly met at 2:30 o‘clock p.m. On the Orders of the Day. WELCOME TO STUDENTS Mr. W. A. Robbins (Saskatoon City): — Mr. Speaker, I would like to draw your attention and the attention of the Members of the Assembly to a fine group of students in the speaker‘s gallery from Albert School in Saskatoon. They are accompanied by their teacher, Mrs. MacMillan and their principal, Mr. Kyle. I do not know whether Mr. Kyle can be classified as the best principal in the province, but I‘m sure he can be classified as one of the biggest in the province. I‘m sure, Mr. Speaker, that all the Members of the Assembly would join with me in wishing this group a fine educational afternoon in this Assembly and in their visit to Regina. Some Hon. Members: — Hear, hear! Mr. W. E. Smishek (Regina East): — Mr. Speaker, I‘d like to draw your attention and the attention of this House to a group of students from Central Collegiate Regina, seated in the west gallery. On behalf of yourself and on behalf of the Members of this House, I‘d like to extend to them a welcome and hope that their stay today with us will be pleasant and informative. Some Hon. Members: — Hear, hear! Mr. D. G. MacLennan (Last Mountain): — Mr. Speaker, I would like to welcome through you a group of students from the Carl Frederickson School in Govan. They are seated in the Speaker‘s gallery and I know we all wish them a most interesting and informative visit to the Assembly. Some Hon. Members: — Hear, hear! Mr. A. E. Blakeney (Regina West): — Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to call to your attention and to the attention of other Members of the House, two groups of students, one in the west gallery from the Herchmer School in Regina – some 50 students from two grade eight classes guided by their teachers, Mr. Meyer and Mr. Hatlelit – they have had a tour of the buildings and they are now here to observe our proceedings and in the east gallery, a group of students – an even larger group – I dare not say a better looking group, about the same I believe, from the David School, about 90 in number. As you can see they are largely filling the east gallery. I‘m sure that all Members through you, Mr. Speaker, would want to wish them an enjoyable afternoon and one which hopefully will add to their understanding of British parliamentary procedures. Some Hon. Members: — Hear, hear! ANSWER TO QUESTION: RE: DR. HOFFMAN OF ILE-A-LA-CROSSE Hon. G. B. Grant (Minister of Public Health): — Before the Orders of the Day, 726 February 27, 1967 I would like to reply to a question raised by the Hon. Member for Regina West (A. E. Blakeney) last Thursday when he inquired as to whether the medical doctor at Ile-A-La-Crosse had been dismissed or was going to be dismissed. I can advise that the medical doctor at Ile-A-La-Crosse, Doctor Hoffman is under contract to the Department of Health. There has been no suggestion by either side that the contract would be terminated. The department is perfectly satisfied with Doctor Hoffman‘s services. I know Doctor Hoffman personally and have had some communications with him recently and there is no indication whatsoever that he was anything but satisfied so I‘d say the answer is no. QUESTION RE: ORDER FOR RETURN NO. 6 Mr. J. H. Brockelbank (Kelsey): — Mr. Speaker, before the Orders of the Day are proceeded with, I want to again ask the Government about the Order for Return which was issued by this House almost three weeks ago now – on the 10th of February, asking for the amount collected in taxes in the current fiscal year. I asked before and this is till not here. I‘d like to ask what is the cause of the delay. Hon. D. V. Heald (Attorney General): — I tabled some Returns on Friday but I though that Return was in it. Which one is that – No. 6? Mr. Brockelbank (Kelsey): — Yes. Hon. Heald: — I‘ll look into that. TYPOGRAPHICAL ERROR IN LEADER POST RE: EMPLOYMENT FIGURE Mr. L. P. Coderre (Gravelbourg): — Mr. Speaker, before the Orders of the Day are proceeded with, I would like to draw the attention of the House to a typographical error in the Leader Post published February 25 where in regard to the statement I made in this House last Friday, the Leader post states: Additional information published month by DBS shows that between January and December, 1966, employment in Saskatchewan rose by 21,000. Whereas, I said: It may be seen that from additional information published monthly by the Dominion Bureau of Statistics that between January and December, 1966, employment in Saskatchewan has risen by 12,000. I then quoted my DBS special table, catalogue No. 9603525. I believe it is a typographical error in the Leader Post and I‘d like to have it corrected in this House. It still indicates, Mr. Speaker, that the total increase in the last two years and eight months is 49,000 extra jobs in the province. Some Hon. Members: — Hear, hear! ADJOURNED DEBATES BUDGET DEBATE The Assembly resumed the adjourned debate on the proposed motion of the hon. W. Ross Thatcher (Provincial Treasurer) that Mr. 727 February 27, 1967 Speaker, do now leave the Chair, and the amendment thereto by Mr. Blakeney (Regina West). Hon. D. Boldt (Minister of Highways): — First, Mr. Speaker, I would like to make a few remarks about the Budget. May I say at the outset that I was very proud to be associated with the Provincial Government and the Premier of this province. Some Hon. Members: — Hear, hear! Mr. Boldt: — The Budget that was brought down by the Premier is realistic in every sense of the word. It represents the financial and the factual position of the Province under his leadership. On Friday last, the Hon. Member for Melfort-Tisdale and the former Minister of Highways under the Socialist regime (Mr. Willis) told the House that the Liberal Highway Crash Program cost the Saskatchewan taxpayer an extra $12,000,000 last year in wasted funds. He mentioned that we had invited the contractors to come to this province, name the price and we would pay the bill. He would like to have the people of Saskatchewan believe that the contractors are a bunch of crooks, that the Liberal Government had made a deal with them and that it‘s costing the taxpayers plenty. Mr. C. G. Willis (Melfort-Tisdale): — I at no time referred to contractors as crooks and it is not my intention to do so. I want the Hon. Member to watch his language in the future. I think he should withdraw that statement. An Hon. Member: — Hear, hear! Mr. Boldt: — He made his speech last Friday and I‘ll make mine today. Some Hon. Members: — Hear, hear! Mr. Boldt: — The fact is, Mr. Speaker, the Liberal party was elected to office on the platform that we would build highways at a minimum of $175,000,000 in the first term of office. The people want, the people need these roads and we will build them and we are building them. We told the contractors of our program and invited them to participate. I would say that they have done a tremendous job at the lowest price possible as all jobs were tendered. Would the Hon. Member for Melfort-Tisdale (Mr. Willis) suggest that contractors such as Ramsey Bird or South Construction of Regina are robbing the taxpayers of Saskatchewan when they tender for a job? Would he also suggest that the city of Saskatoon who did all the contracting for the Idylwlyd Freeway in which the Department of Highways shared up to almost $8,000,000 robbed the taxpayers of a few millions of dollars? Would he also suggest that the Mayor of Regina robbed the taxpayers of hundred of thousand of dollars… Some Hon. Members: — Hear, hear! Mr. Boldt: — …when they did all the contracting on the Albert Street subway which we shared with the city at the cost to the Highway Department of almost $400,000. 728 February 27, 1967 Let‘s look at the finances and see how they compared under their regime. Almost $4,000,000 was taken from the taxpayers, mostly through schools and hospitals to finance a bankrupt Crown Insurance Company with offices in Montana. I need not repeat the details. Hundreds and thousands of dollars of the taxpayers‘ money went into other Socialistic events that only saw red. If you want to examine waste, let‘s look at what the Regina Mayor, a Member of this Legislature, is doing with the taxpayers‘ money. I need only refer to the auditorium most commonly known across Canada by now as ―The Great Monkey Bars.‖ I drive past them every day and I think of Henry, that poor old soul. I think of Henry… Some Hon. Members: — Hear, hear! An Hon. Member: — They are the monkeys. Mr. Boldt: — I‘m sure the mayor has received enough punishment. I‘m afraid he lives in the first century. His way of financing could have existed in those days, but surely we need not expect this to happen in the 20th Century. But it has and for his benefit, I would like to give him a little bit of Biblical advice.